If you want to end an interview with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, ask him his opinion of head coach Tony Sparano.
That’s what the Miami Herald discovered Friday when a reporter asked, “what do you think so far of the job that Coach Sparano . . .”
Ross cut the reporter off before the question could even be finished.
“I don’t want to get into that,’' Ross said. “I don’t want to start talking about that. I love these guys. They’re all great. I’m happy.’'
With that, a member of Ross’s personal security team ended the interview.
Those last two words -- “I’m happy” -- may suggest that Sparano has satisfied his boss. But with the Dolphins at 6-6, the season could still go either way in the final four games, and Ross could either be a lot happier or decidedly unhappy in four weeks.
There’s also the issue of whether Bill Parcells will continue to have Ross’s ear in 2011. Parcells was Sparano’s boss in Dallas and brought Sparano to Miami, and so if Parcells has a say in the matter, Sparano is probably safe.
But by refusing to answer questions about Sparano, Ross is leaving open the possibility that Sparano won’t be safe for long.